Gaming machines, such as slot machines, video poker machines and the like, have been a cornerstone of the gaming industry for several years. Generally, the popularity of such machines with players is dependent on the likelihood (or perceived likelihood) of winning money at the machine and the intrinsic entertainment value of the machine relative to other available gaming options.
One concept that has been employed to increase the perceived likelihood of winning money is to allow a player to risk a previously accrued win for an even bigger win. In certain games, a player is allowed to risk a credit award—that the player earned through play of a wagering game—in a “double up” type event after the wagering game has concluded. This double-up event prompts the player to select one of two possible outcomes (e.g., a card is displayed and the player selects whether it is red or black before the card is revealed) and, if the player chooses correctly, doubles the credits that the player earned during the preceding wagering game. Alternatively, if the player chooses incorrectly, the earned credits are retained by the gaming machine and the player is left with nothing. This type of double-up game is only available to the player once a wagering game has completed and does not enhance the gaming experience in any way while the actual wagering game is being played by the player. Only after a winning wagering game can a player access the double-up feature and the double-up feature is limited to increasing a credit award from a preceding wagering game after the preceding game has concluded.